Speaks at annual Chamber dinner, addresses business leaders' concerns

By BOBBY WARRENStaff Writer Published: January 24, 2013 4:00 AM

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WOOSTER -- When Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor visited Wooster in August, she spoke to business leaders at a roundtable organized by the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce.

Taylor was back in Wooster on Jan. 17 for the Chamber's annual dinner. She spent some time talking about how Ohio's Common Sense Initiative has been helping to reduce the regulatory burden faced by businesses while at the same time still protecting Ohioans.

Before making her public remarks, Taylor spoke about some of the issues raised by business leaders, like Paul Williams, president of Wooster Motor Ways, and Pat Neyhart, president of Wooster Glass, when she was here in August.

Williams, who also serves as the president of the Ohio Trucking Association, raised a number of issues: A fee paid to the federal government and to Ohio related to hazardous materials, which he viewed as redundant; the possibility of the costs of special permits skyrocketing; the high cost of licenses for trailers; and workers' compensation, he has to pay Ohio for the insurance and every other state where his drivers transport freight.

Workers' compensation also was a concern for Neyhart. He suggested to Taylor workers' compensation should be based on regular earnings, not on spikes during busy times.

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As for the redundancy of the hazardous materials fees, Taylor said the OTA is now working with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, so CSI is not involved. Williams' comments, though, did put it on the radar screen, she said.

As for the special permit fees, part of the problem is sometimes they are set by local governments, Taylor said. The matter has been raised with officials at the Ohio Department of Transportation to see if they can come up with a solution.

As for the workers' compensation issues raised by Neyhart and Williams, Taylor said there will be some policies put together for Gov. John Kasich's office to consider.

Williams said he is pleased Taylor brought his concerns back to Columbus and has looked for solutions. They are still looking for something that will eliminate trucking operations having to pay the federal government and Ohio fees for hazardous materials. He is also happy to hear ODOT has contacted the OTA about meeting to discuss the organization's issues.

Williams still would like to see something done with the trailer license plates. In Ohio, it costs more than $70 per trailer, but it costs $25 per trailer when registered in Maine. If the state were to lower the fee, Williams said many trucking companies would buy the licenses here.

There have been three meetings between the state and OTA regarding workers' compensation. "They're trying to come up with an alternative," Williams said. "There is definitely a cooperative spirit to make things better."

"Mary Taylor has been very responsive," Neyhart said, adding her staff has called back regarding his workers' compensation concerns.

Reporter Bobby Warren can be reached at 330-287-1639 or bwarren@the-daily-record.com. He is @BobbyWarrenTDR on Twitter.